This invention relates to new and useful improvements in hand-held portable electric appliances and in particular electric dry shavers.
In presently known electric dry shavers there is usually provided a casing in which is housed an electric motor and upon which casing is provided a cutter head assembly. Drive means are interposed between the motor and cutter head assembly for effecting operation of the cutter head upon energization of the motor by an internal or external power source. It is also required that the casing house not only these mechanisms but other ancillary devices that are found in electric dry shavers such as auxiliary sideburn and moustache trimmers, cutter latching mechanisms and the like.
It is advantageous in these appliances to provide a structural arrangement wherein the various operative parts are disposed for ready access for servicing. In electric dry shavers, for example, it is desirable that the shaver be assembled so that the motor may be removed in operative assembled relationship with the other parts of the shaver from the main protective or enclosure casing. The latter type structure provides for expedient servicing and testing of the shaver.
Various arrangements have been utilized in the past for achieving these objectives and which devices have met with varying degrees of success. Problems are encountered however, in that known arrangements have provided relatively complex structural requirements that do not lend themselves to efficient manufacturing procedures. It is further desirable in certain electric dry shavers which utilize vibratory electric motors that the motor be arranged within the casing in a manner whereby a minimal amount of vibrations are transmitted through the casing walls to the hand of the user during use of the appliance such as disclosed in co-pending application Ser. No. 472,539 filed May 23, 1974 and entitled "Vibrator Motor in Hand-Held Electric Appliance". It has been found that in certain electric dry shavers or other appliances employing these motors (as more fully disclosed in the mentioned application) which comprise an armature pivoted for movement relative to a fixed stator member that the periodic vibrations can be substantially reduced by adjusting the pivot point of the armature within the housing in a manner whereby among other features the lower end of the motor assembly is free to move in a predetermined arc relative to the pivot to balance the armature system and substantially reduce vibrations in use of the appliance.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel hand-held electrical appliance and in particular one which houses a vibratory motor and output means operable thereby.
Another object is to provide a novel electric dry shaver wherein means are provided for mounting a shaver motor and cutter head drive means in operative relationship whereby all of the latter elements can be removed from the casing as an operative unit.
A further object is to provide novel means for mounting a vibratory motor within a shaver casing for pivotable movement therein during operation without disturbing or interferring with the adjacent fixed shaver mechanisms.
A further object is to provide a novel means for mounting a cutter head assembly, drive means therefor, and a vibratory motor within a shaver casing whereby the mentioned elements which comprise the operative mechanisms of the shaver can be removed from the shaver casing in assembled operative position and which operative mechanisms may also include a hair trimmer device selectively operative by the cutter head drive means.
A still further object is to provide for an electric dry shaver having an improved structural arrangement which permits efficient and less costly manufacturing and assembly procedures.
The present invention contemplates a novel hand-held electric appliance. In one embodiment the invention is embodied in an electric dry shaver which comprises a cutter head assembly, drive means therefor and a vibratory motor. Support means are provided for supporting the latter elements whereby the latter are removable as a unit from the appliance casing and which means include a shroud support member. Means are provided for mounting the motor on the shroud whereby the one end is free to swing in an arc relative thereto in operation. The support further includes a novel support for the motor stator including strap means suspended from the shroud assembly to interconnect the latter to the stator support.
The above and other objects and advantages of the present invention will appear more fully hereinafter from a consideration of the detailed description which follows taken together with the accompanying drawings wherein an embodiment of the invention is illustrated.